"Destiny!" A voice called from the distance, but I was too weak to respond. Events from the night before were rushing through my head. I couldn't help it, I started shaking, and I could no longer hold back the tears. I huddled myself into a ball trying to catch my breath so I could regain composure, but I knew it was my fault Clarissa was gone. If only I'd stayed home, it wouldn't have been her. "Destiny!" I heard the voice call out in a worried rush again, they were getting closer, but I didn't want to move. I wanted to stay there, sitting on the cold ground, my muddy attire not able to keep me the slightest bit of warm.

The world was so huge, and I was just one tiny piece inside of it, why did it matter if I were here when everyone else was slowly dying on the behalf of me. My stupidness, my carelessness. It all was my fault, there was no denying that, but I was able to hold back my tears and wipe them away quickly . I just sat there in the cold breathing shakily when the familiar voice found me. "Oh my God, Destiny are you okay, you nearly scared me to death!" Matt's voice came in a rush.

"No." I whispered in a quiet but shaky tone. My teeth were chattering against a cold chill that the downpour of rain had left. It didn't really help that my cloths were soaked, because they clung to my skin and made the chill almost freezing. Matt didn't say anything, just crept forward watching me. "Matt, Clarissa's dead. Jay told me last night." I paused trying to collect myself, but I couldn't because in a rush I continued. " They're gone, both of them. My mom, and Clarissa... They are both dead Matt, and it's my fault." I bit my lip, trying to force back my tears. Although I couldn't do much about the weakening of my voice.

Matt looked like he'd been hit across the face when I told him about Clarissa. Although, even when he was trying to take in this information himself, he sat down beside me. We sat there in silence and watched our breaths disturb the air. "It's not your fault." Matt whispered.

This only made things worse for me though. "No, it should be me. I should've been there yesterday watching Katrina not her. I was the one they were looking for." I cried out, finally allowing the tears to escape. It was useless, what was the point in crying? It seemed to be all I ever did those days.

"Destiny," Matt's voice was soft,"If it would've been you there, where would Katrina be? Where would I be?" His voice wasn't as steady as he probably wanted it to be.

"Yeah, but if I was there I could've protected Katrina, and myself. We'd be safe, and Clarissa would be home right now. She wouldn't be gone just like that." I reasoned with a slight quiver to my voice. Matt didn't say anything, just hesitantly placed a hand on my shoulder. Although almost instantly he jolted back.

"You're soaked." Matt said, although, it was more to himself than to me.

"No kidding" I mumbled, trying to hide the chatter of my teeth.

"How long have you been out here?" Matt gave a worried glance while placing his warm hand against my cheek. Although it felt nice against the chill of my face, I must've felt like ice considering the reaction Matt gave to his touch.

I didn't want to tell him the truth, I wanted to lie right then and there.I wanted to tell him that I was fine, that I'd only been outside in the cold for a hour or two, and that he didn't have to worry about me. Although I couldn't really seem to find my way out of it, it was no lie that I had gone a little too far this time. "All night..." I whispered through the god forbidden chatter of my teeth. "I didn't mean to do it, I just, I thought that I should-"

"It's okay, It's okay, I know." Matt interrupted with a hushed tone. I could see him taking his jacket off with the corner of my eyes. "Here, take off that jacket you're wearing, it's soaked. I know it can't be keeping you warm at all." Matt instructed with a soft voice.

Thanks to the shakiness of my hands from the cold, I could barely grasp the cool metal from my zipper. It seemed to be the biggest discomfort struggling to get the jacket off, because my movement was locked, like it had been restricted. Once that task was completed I felt Matt place his jacket around my shoulder and put his arms around me as tightly as he possibly as he could, as if he was trying to radiate all the heat from himself into me.

"I think I'm going to be sick." I whispered, feeling the slight wave of nausea hit my stomach.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Matt whispered into my ear, rubbing my arms trying to somehow bring comfort and warmth back to me. "You know that you're crazy right?" He said humorously, as I leaned weakly into his arms.

"So I've been told." I probably sounded like a wreck, hell I probably looked even worse. Although I just sat there feeling the warmth Matt's strong arms brought across me, I could feel his hot breath against my neck, and I could smell the fresh scent of pine against his shirt.

That was the last thing I remembered. I didn't know how I'd gotten back to Matt's house wrapped in a warm blanket asleep on his couch. I don't remember how my clothes were changed from the attire I'd been wearing previously , to black sweats and a long sleeved grey shirt that fell just below my thighs. For all I knew it could've all just been a horrible dream.

I knew it wasn't though when I tried to move and every muscle in my body seemed tense and weak. I was sore from head to toe, but the pain wasn't exactly unbearable. My eyes were also still heavy with exhaustion. My nose was burning, my face felt hot, and I wanted some type of fan blowing directly in my face, even when the whole house was probably freezing cold. My chest was burning every time I inhaled, I couldn't really do anything about that fact though. I watched the ceiling silently, feeling like the smallest person in the whole world. I was stupid, and ignorant, I should have never just left in the middle of the night after everything that had happened. I probably had scared Matt half to death.

Suddenly realizing where I was, the house felt too quiet. I couldn't just lay around anymore for some reason. Through all the pain it took just to sit up, I grunted and bit my lip as I unsteadily lifted my shaky body off the couch. Examining the small living room, I noticed that Katrina was no longer asleep on Matt's bed, and it was made up neatly with her clothes laid out on the bed. Looking to the counter beside the couch I found my pocket knife laid out. I smiled at it knowing Matt had thought of me before he had left. He knew I always had some sort of weapon laid out in easy range... Just in case.

I slowly made my way into his kitchen,and sat down in the squeaky handmade stool placed in front of his counter. The letter was left out exactly where I had put it early the night before. At that point, the words still didn't mean anything to me, but I picked up the letter and re-read it once again. "Right past the Willow tree, and the fireflies that come out at night. Cross the lake with a canoe. There lies the jars, that we all once used." I read it over and over, but none of it made since. It seemed familiar somehow, but I didn't understand what point was trying to be made. I tried to break down the important parts.

It seemed to be giving directions to a place I'd been before. Although, I couldn't remember a distinct willow tree I'd been too, nonetheless one that was anywhere close to a lake. I tried, I really did, I tried to let the information sink into my mind and bring back some type of memory. It wouldn't budge out of my mind though. I heard the lock rattling from the latch inside the living room.

"Is Destiny going to be okay?" I heard a small voice question quietly.

"Yeah, she's just a little bit sick right now." Matt's voice rang, possibly helping my younger sister inside of the treehouse as I heard a simple squeak of feet landing against the wooden floor.

I heard her light footsteps, and then there was nothing. "Matt, she's not here." Katrina said, her voice more of a question then a statement. I could almost envision her eyes scanning the neat living room as she said that.

"Are you sure, she was just passed out on that couch." Matt said with a grunt as he lifted himself into the treehouse.

"She's not in the livingroom.." Katrina observed with her usual childish voice. She may have been eleven, but everything about her seemed younger, her eyes, her petite body, and especially that ever like childish side she had. "It looks like she just got up and walked somewhere though, her shoes are here." Just like our father she was observant of her surroundings.

"Yeah, that's because I'm in here." I called out with a weak voice. That's when I was able to hear the latch close and snap with the lock. I heard quiet footsteps, and turning to look at the kition opening, I saw the eliquite curly hair that my little sister had pulled into a high ponytail. This only made Katrina look years younger than her actual age. She looked better than she had the day before now though. Her emerald gem of eyes were no longer puffy or pink, and she seemed to be holding herself up better now. I guess the information only needed to surface.

I couldn't tell her the Clarissa had died though, I knew it would destroy her from the inside out. She'd think that it was her fault when in reality it wasn't. So I faked a smile as she made her way to me with worried eyes. "Are you feeling okay?" She questioned.

"Never better, don't worry about me." I reassured my little sister. She seemed to smile a little, while throwing her tiny arms tightly around me. I grunted, but nonetheless weakly I wrapped my arms back around her.

"I'm glad you're okay." Katrina breathed, finally dropping her arms to let me go. "All I really know is that Matt carried you back here. He wouldn't let me see you though, he made me sit in kitchen and wait."

Realizing the fact that Katrina hadn't helped me change after I'd gotten back. I felt this hot rush fill my face. Her small smile began fading as she spoke. "I didn't really see you, I only caught a glimpse, and you just looked so pale. He wouldn't let me see you, and wouldn't he let me help him. I didn't know what to do." Her voice was shaking, I didn't like that either, it didn't sound good on Katrina.

My cheeks burned because I knew that my sister hadn't helped me change into those baggy black sweats, and that long sleeved grey shirt that I'd wearing then. Although throughout the embarrassment, burning my face, I continued to reassure Katrina. "It's alright, I'm okay now." lightly I patted her head and gave a weak smile.

We both heard boots clacking across the dark wooden floor, they soon stopped at the opening of his kitchen. I patted my hand against her head and then I turned towards the opening. "Am I interrupting something?" Matt questioned looking back and forth between my sister and I. His eyes seemed to soften when his gaze met my eyes.

"No, not really." I responded. Katrina looked back and forth between Matt and me. I knew what she was thinking, I always knew what everyone else always thought when Matt and I were around each other. I didn't want to deny it to myself anymore, part of me knew that I had a thing for him, but the other part of me was sceptical about it. I knew I didn't want to ever lose him, because he was the best friend that I really had then. What if I told him, and I lost everything that we had?

Matt smiled, god his smile was just perfect. "Glad to see you're doing better." His tone came out soft. His eyes eventually met Katrina standing beside me. "Really, we both are."

Looking to the floor, I smiled a little. It felt nice knowing people cared about how I was doing, but I didn't like being the center of attention. "Uhm, thanks for everything Matt, really it was nice." I blushed trying to think of the correct words to say at a moment like that. Matt didn't respond to me he just gave me a smile and disappeared back into the livingroom.

Katrina wasn't paying any attention to Matt and I anymore when I turned back toward her, I caught her emerald eyes glued onto the hunting jacket I'd set on the counter the night before. It seemed like she was also able to recognize it. Confusion settled across her face before she glanced back at me with wide eyes. "Destiny... That's Dad's jacket, what is that supposed to mean?" Her voice was frantic as her eyes searched the wooden table where the jacket had been placed beside the cardboard box. "Does th-this mean he's dead?" She stuttered